The present invention relates to a vehicle body having a midgate panel with first and second hinged panel sections each pivotable between an open position and a closed position relative to an opening between adjacent cargo compartments.
It is known in the art to provide a pickup truck or SUV having a cab portion for carrying passengers with a rear seat section behind the driver and a cargo box behind the cab portion for carrying cargo. It is also known to provide aligned openings in the cab portion and the cargo box for carrying longer loads which extend into the passenger compartment when the rear seat is folded down. Currently, a multi-use vehicle is available which provides a pickup truck having a rear passenger compartment convertible to a cargo area and separated from a rear pickup box by a midgate having a flexible hinged panel and window system. This vehicle is adapted to accommodate a variety of optional configurations for alternatively carrying a maximum passenger load or an extended cargo load under both covered and uncovered conditions in which the cargo load is protected from or exposed to ambient external conditions.
It is desirable to improve functionality of the vehicle.
The invention provides a closure planel having first and second hinged panel sections which are each pivotable between open and closed positions with respect to an opening between adjacent compartments of a vehicle.
More specifically, a vehicle body includes a first compartment for carrying passengers or cargo and a second compartment for carrying cargo rearwardly adjacent the first compartment. The body includes a frame defining an opening between the first and second compartments. The opening includes upper and lower portions. A window is mounted to the frame to close the upper portion of the opening. A closure panel is mounted to the frame and has first and second hinged panel sections each pivotable between an open position permitting access through first and second portions, respectively, of the lower portion of the opening, and a closed position closing the first and second portions, respectively, of the lower portion of the opening.
In one embodiment, the first and second hinged panel sections are positioned side-by-side adjacent each other with a vertical split therebetween. The first and second hinged panel sections are each pivotally connected to the frame about a horizontal axis at a lower edge of the lower portion of the opening.
In another embodiment, the first hinged panel section is positioned vertically above the second hinged panel section with a horizontal split therebetween. The first hinged panel section is pivotally connected to the second hinged panel section about a first horizontal pivot axis and the second hinged panel section is pivotally connected to the frame about a second horizontal pivot axis.
A crossbar may be mounted in the opening between the upper and lower portions of the opening. The crossbar may be fixed to the frame, or the crossbar may be removably mounted to the frame and pivotable with the closure panel to the open position.
The window may be removable, and the panel sections may be moved to the open position in either a first condition wherein the crossbar remains in the frame supporting the window, or a second condition wherein the window is removed and the crossbar remains attached to and opens with the panel. The closure panel may include a pocket for receiving the window when the window is removed from the upper portion of the opening.
The window may be hinged along an upper edge to the frame for pivotal movement to a horizontal, open position.
A counterbalancing strut may be operatively connected between at least one of the hinged panel sections and a body floor to bias the panel section toward the open and closed positions, alternatively, depending on the pivoted position of the panel section. The counterbalancing strut is preferably a gas strut which is pivotable between a first position biasing the panel section toward the closed position and a second position biasing the panel section toward the open position, with a center position therebetween at which the gas strut is at its most compressed position. The gas strut is at least partially positionable within a floor recess when in the second position.
An electric motor may be operatively connected to at least one of the panel sections for pivoting the panel section between the open and closed positions.
A latch may also be provided for holding the closure panel in the closed position. A control may be provided for allowing unlatching of the latch only when a corresponding vehicle transmission is in a park or neutral position.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the specific embodiments of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings.